


Finding Family

by LittleRocky



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: ABDL, But Then He Died, Daddy Drax, Daddy Peter Quill, Diapers, Family Fluff, Gen, Groot Was Rocket's Caretaker, Little!Rocket, Mommy Gamora, Non-Sexual Age Play, Spanking, Temper Tantrums, Tickling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2020-01-15 05:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18492211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRocky/pseuds/LittleRocky
Summary: When Rocket sadly asked who would take care of him, the Guardians had no idea that the raccoonoid meant who would literally take care of him. They promised they would and they intend to keep their promise, but there's a lot for them to learn and a lot for Rocket to learn. Will this new family be able to make it with this new dynamic?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Greenpoem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenpoem/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Crinkly Raccoon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18429068) by [Greenpoem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenpoem/pseuds/Greenpoem). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Guardians find out something very special about Rocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for Greenpoem who wrote a really adorable diaper story a little while back!

His daddy was dead. Rocky didn't know when or how long he'd been in his headspace, but he was well into it now and not even the humanoids' attention could divert him from the truth. Daddy was dead and now there was no one to take care of him. Rocky knew that he had to be brave, but Daddy was gone and everything was so scary now. Hands touched his head, hands he knew and he couldn't hide his tears from the person who had gently petted him after...after... "I want my daddy," Rocky whimpered. "Want my daddy."

"Groot was your father?" Drax didn't stop the petting, instead watching the small raccoonoid as he sniffled and hiccupped, trying to get his breath back. He didn't know how a tree could make a Rocket, but it was a large universe and anything could happen within it.

"Nuh uh. Groot's my daddy."

Drax understood within a heartbeat. Caregivers and littles were a common sight in the galaxy alone. Why, in the Kyln prison, there had been at least twenty-three caregiver and little pairs. "You're a little."

"Uh huh. Daddy takes care of me, but now...Daddy's gone."

Drax had some knowledge on caregiving. He was not an expert by any means, but his beloved had been a caregiver and he had watched her take excellent care of her littles and, therefore, had a good notion of how a little ought to be treated and how to speak to one. "I know, little one. But if you're content to allow me, I'll take care of you as long as you need it."

Rocky needed to be taken care of. He wanted cuddles, he wanted to be tucked away somewhere safe, he wanted love. But to accept someone new scared him. "What about Daddy?"

"We will make certain that he remains unforgotten." Drax promised, the same words he had heard his beloved speak through the years. "It's getting late, little one. What do you usually do at bedtime?" It was, in fact, only an hour after sunset, but Drax felt tired, himself. Therefore the little he was now entrusted with must have been exhausted.

"I..I don't know."

"That's alright." Drax knew he had to be hasty in his assurance. "We can simply make a routine up for tonight." There were three things his beloved always insisted the littles needed for a good night's rest. A warm bath, a fresh diaper and a small bottle of milk. Cuddling was mandatory, unless the little refused. "Would you like a warm bath to chase away the cold?"

"Not too much water." Rocky insisted quickly. He had been frightened with deep water back in the Bad Place. "Small water."

Drax held his thumb and index finger four inches apart. "This much water. Would you like a warm drink before bed?"

Rocky shook his head. "If I drink too much, I'll have to get up a lot."

"When you have a diaper on, this won't be a problem."

Rocky knew lots of things about humanoids, but diapers were new to him. "What's a diaper?"

"It's a type of disposable undergarment. People use these to relieve themselves."

"I never had a diaper before." Rocky debated to himself about whether ot not he should accept a diaper and decided that a warm drink sounded much nicer an option than going without. "Can I still have a warm drink?"

"Of course you can. First comes bath, then a diaper and finally a bottle of warm milk. Does that sound nice?"

It all did. Daddy had never been able to do those things. Rocky was certain that if his daddy could have done those things, he would have. "Yeah," he whispered. "It does."

Drax recalled his beloved as well as he could. When she had a new little, she would offer them her hand to hold so that they would become used to her before she offered to carry them in her arms. He offered his hand to Rocket and was astonished when the raccoonoid lifted up both of his arms in a clear hint that he wanted to be picked up. "Are you sure, Rocket?"

"Not Rocket. Name's Rocky."

Many littles chose smaller names, Drax recalled. He let Rocky cling around his neck and scooped him from the floor. "You will need to help me."

"I do?"

"Yes. Every bath should have bubbles in it, don't you think?"

Rocky felt his eyes widen. Bubbles, too? He loved bubbles, but had never been able to play with them much. Daddy would have gotten him bubbles if he could, but he hadn't been able to. "Lots and lots of bubbles?"

"Many bubbles." Drax promised, finding the door to the bathroom and opening it with a press of a golden button. "You need to choose the scent, little one."

Rocky found himself set on the edge of a bathtub. He looked inside it doubtfully. It was so large and he was so small. He suckled on his thumb and pointed at the sink in the corner of the room. "Want bath there."

"In the sink?" Drax asked and when Rocky confirmed with a small nod, he smiled. "In the sink it is." There was a big, shining black cabinet by the sink and he opened it to find rolled-up black towels, folded robes and a dozen bottles filled with liquids of differing colors. "Which color is your favorite?"

"Pink." Daddy had grown fruit in this color and given them to Rocky to eat when he got hungry. Pink would always be the best color ever.

Drax ran warm water into the sink and added a generous amount of the pink bubble bath. The water turned a light shade of rose, sparkles glinting in the light and he allowed the sink to fill halfway. Any more than that and he risked distressing Rocky and he definitely didn't want to do that. Drax crouched down in front of Rocky and petted his head softly. "We had best get you prepared for your bath, little one. Would you like my help?"

Rocky knew his clothes had to come off, but he couldn't touch them. He had worn them when Daddy had died. "Uh-huh."

Drax knew that Rocky would find it difficult to speak. Grief took a toll on the ability to speak. He unzipped the little suit and slid Rocky through it, placing the little one over his shoulder, patting a gentle rythmn on his back, watchful of the cybernetics. Rocky snuggled into him and made a noise of contentment. As Drax carefully slid him into the pinkened water, Rocky wriggled in enjoyment of the warmth and sweet smell. He looked very sweet relaxing in the frothy, rainbow-tinted bubbles and Drax allowed himself a smile. "We don't appear to have shampoo available for your fur, Rocky. Is it alright if you enjoy the bubbles for tonight?"

"Uh huh," Rocky agreed. With his hands, he scooped up bubbles and blew them at Drax, giggling playfully.

"Are you attempting to give me a bath, too, little one?" Drax petted Rocky's head again. "I need to get you a towel ready."

Rocky watched him unroll a towel. "That's very big," he observed.

"That's right," Drax agreed, although it didn't seem so large to him. "It will help you to get dry so you need not sleep in a damp diaper all night."

"Is a damp diaper bad?"

"Not at all." Drax noticed there was a changing table hidden underneath a small alcove. He pulled it out to find a supply of diapers, powder and sleepsuits designed for infants of all species. Clearly, the Xandarian Headquarters were well-prepared for even little emergencies. "It simply means that it needs to be changed."

Rocky let Drax pick him up from the bath and didn't have any time to feel cold before he was bundled inside the very big towel. "What do I do when it needs to be changed?"

"You come and tell me." Drax said, gently drying the little in his lap. "And if you need anything else, come and tell me."

That sounded good to Rocky. He soon found himself on the changing table and kicked the very big towel off until it landed in a damp heap on the floor.

"Rocky," Drax's eyes were nice, but his voice was stern. "It's not acceptable to make messes."

"Sorry." Rocky mumbled.

Drax forgave him with a gentle pet on his head. "I forgive you. Next time you no longer want your towel, tell me. Throwing things on the floor isn't very nice."

"I'll tell you. Promise."

"Thank you." Drax helped him lie on his back and showed him two sleepsuits that were more or less designed for Rocky's body shape. "Would you like the dark blue with the yellow stars or the deep green with the yellow crescent moons?"

"Blue."

"As you wish." Drax replaced the green sleepsuit and found the smallest diaper. "Time for your diaper, little one."

Rocky sucked his thumb as his legs were lifted up so his butt hung in the air. Something crinkly was slid underneath his butt and he was gently lowered. Powder with a sweet, clean smell was shaken over him and the diaper was soon closed and stuck together. He didn't have long to think about the diaper as he was soon being dressed up in the sleepsuit. It was fleecy and nice on the inside, but there was one problem. "My tail isn't out."

"So it isn't." Drax rumbled. "I can fix this, if you will allow me."

"I don't like my tail being stuck." Rocky said anxiously.

Drax gently moved Rocky onto his front and found a tiny little tear in the fabric of the sleepsuit. He pulled at it until finally, he could gently pull the little one's tail through. "It's free now."

"Thanks." Rocky was surprised by how easily Drax had fixed the problem. It had seemed like such a big problem and now it was all gone.

"You're welcome, little one." Drax patted the seat of Rocky's sleepsuit. "How does the diaper feel?"

Rocky wriggled, trying to see how he liked it. "It's comfy." There was a very familiar rustling sound from the diaper and he said; "Sounds like leaves." Like _Daddy's_ leaves. 

Drax picked Rocky up from the changing table. "That may change when it's wet." He put Rocky against his chest, feeling arms wind around his neck. It reminded him of his lost daughter, down to the smell of soap and talcum powder. . He hoped sincerely that he was doing this correctly. His beloved had taken such care and attention toward her littles and he hoped to be even a fraction of the caregiver she had been. "Let's find you some milk."

Drax wasn't just like Daddy had been, Rocky found. But he also found that he preferred that they weren't just the same. If they were, then Daddy's care wouldn't have been as special. This was a different kind of special. He cuddled against Drax as he was taken inside one of the bedrooms and slid his thumb inside his mouth, sucking on it for comfort.

"Does that taste pleasant?" Drax teased, putting Rocky on the bed. "You will have milk soon, little one. Where would you like to sleep tonight? I can get a cradle set up if you wish or you can have the bed."

"What's a cradle?" Rocky asked. "Is it one of those things on wheels?"

"No, I believe you're thinking of a pushchair. A cradle is stationary and is where littles can sleep."

"Never had a cradle." In the Bad Place, where he'd been young, there had been nothing but cold and metal and lots of pain it hurt to think about. "A cradle."

Drax knew that one had been hidden underneath the bed and he dragged it out with his foot. He could tell instantly that it would not be a one-person job and hummed softly, not wanting Rocky to feel worried about where he would be sleeping tonight. "I wonder if it might be best for you to have your milk whilst the cradle is set up. That way, it should be finished in time for you to get ready for bed."

Rocky shifted uncomfortably at the thought of being left alone. "Will you come back?"

"Of course I will. Someone might come with me. Will this be alright?"

"Only if they're nice."

"Yes, they will be nice." Drax promised. "I will not allow any bad people near you. I'll be back here soon." He felt wretched, leaving the grieving little on his own but it couldn't be helped. He didn't want Rocky to be given an enslaught of condolences about Groot in his current headspace, it would only hurt him. Better to explain the situation and accept help for him than let Peter and Gamora find out later on. He found both of them watching the large holographic TV and stood in front of it. "I need your help with something."

"What?"

"Firstly I need to explain something important to you." 

Neither Peter or Gamora knew much about Drax's past life  aside from what little he had managed to speak of. They assumed that he was about to tell them something about him. "You can tell us anything." Gamora said, eager to make closer amends with the man whose life her father had nearly destroyed.

"Rocket is a little."

"You're only just realising how small he is now?" Peter mumbled. He was fighting to stay awake, the Stone having taken a lot of his energy. "Drax, he's like two, maybe three feet tall."

"I didn't mean in terms of stature." Drax grumbled. "I mean he is a little. He needs us now."

Gamora's own knowledge on littles was limited, moreso than Peter's. She tried hard to collect all the information she knew of them. "Littles are people who spend time as children."

"That is correct. They enter what is known as a headspace wherein they behave as their preferred age."

"Okay." Peter was still tired, but it sounded to him that Rocket needed help and he was more than ready to give whatever help was needed. "What's his age?"

"I don't know yet. Young. I'm not sure he even knows."

Gamora turned off the TV. "What can we do to help?"

Glad to have their help, Drax pointed at Peter. "You're clearly exhausted, so it would seem that you had better feed Rocky his bottle-"

"His little name's Rocky?" Peter had known littles on the Ravager ship. They had often changed their names from being intimidating to almost adorable. Rocky sounded _very_ adorable. 

"That is correct. Gamora, I need your help to build the crib."

Gamora had never built a crib before, but she was happy to help however she could. "I can do that."

Glad to have secured help in feeds and crib building, Drax instructed Peter in making up a bottle. The only bottle available was a water bottle from the refrigerator which was emptied of the icy clear liquid and filled with warm, creamy milk. Perfect for littles in need of something good in their tummies. While Peter stowed away the dirty saucepan inside the dishwasher, Drax and Gamora went to see to Rocky.

The little one watched them with wide brown eyes. He was sucking on his fingers and this, combined with the cute roundness of his diaper and the sleeping suit he was now wearing made him look very sweet. Gamora let Drax pull the crib into the center of the room and went to Rocky. "Hey, Rocky. I like your sleeping suit."

Rocky was very relieved that Gamora was being so nice to him. Some people could be very mean when they realised he was a little. He put his thumb in his mouth and mumbled a soft 'thank you'. He felt happy in his sleeping suit and had gotten used to the diaper, so getting a nice compliment made him feel very good.

"I'm going to help Drax set up the crib. While we do that, Peter has something nice for you."

Milk. Drax had promised he would have milk. Rocky had never had a bottle of milk before  He hoped it would taste nice. He sucked his thumb until he felt a hand on his head and saw Peter with a little bottle of something white.

Peter had never seen anything so cute in all his life. Rocky looked so sweet in the little starry sleeping suit. He smiled and sat down by him. "Stars suit you pretty good, Rocky."

Rocky liked getting compliments, he decided. He smiled shyly at Peter. "Thanks."

"Is it cool if I put you on my lap? That way I can cuddle you while you drink your milk."

Cuddles sounded really good. Rocky let Peter pick him up and settle him in his lap. The bottle was a little hard to suckle, but the sweet, delicious milk made up for it. As he drank, he grew more full and sleepy, his eyes closing by themselves. 

"Done!" Gamora said proudly. She was pleased with the crib. It had warm padding inside and the colours were soft and very pretty. Perfect for a sleepy little boy.

"We gotta burp you and then you can go to sleep, Rocky." Peter explained to him as he picked him up and put him against his shoulder. He gently patted Rocky's back and finally heard a soft burp. "Good job, buddy. Is it okay if Gamora tucks you in?" 

"Uh huh." Rocky agreed. 

Gamora picked him up, amazed by how soft he now felt. He cuddled close to her and as she put him inside the crib, he quickly closed his eyes, so different to how sad he had been barely eight hours previously. Now he smiled in sleep and nothing had ever seemed so perfect. He just wished that Daddy was there. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rocky asks a very big question.

When Rocky woke up, he felt really warm and _really_ wet. He wriggled his legs in the sleeping suit and then looked at the thin bars of the cradle. They were made of wood and easy for him to climb, so he did, and then set off to find someone who would help him out of the diaper. Now they knew and he knew they didn't care that he was a little, he felt happy to ask one of them for a change. He found the others in front of the TV and climbed on Gamora's lap, hoping that she'd cuddle him. She put her arms around him, pulling him closer to herself and rocked him. She was softer than he expected her to be, but so warm, and she had pretty long hair which tickled his nose.

Gamora was pretty pleased that Rocky had chosen her to cuddle with. She smiled at the bundle of fluff in her lap and let him shyly touch her hair, seeing how careful he was with it. "Did you sleep well, Rocky?"

Rocky nodded. Then he remembered his diaper. "Got wet."

"Oh." Gamora didn't know how to change a diaper. She had outgrown diapers by the time Thanos had taken her away from her home and a life as an assassin hadn't taught her how to change them. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to help that." 

Drax caught Gamora's eye and smiled at her, knowing that she felt a little bad for not being able to help with the problem. "I can help you, if you want, little one."

Rocky didn't care who helped him out of the wet diaper, just as long as someone did. He held up his arms for Drax to pick him up and felt his tummy rumble. "Is there breakfast?"

"Would you like some cereal?" Gamora offered. Her own cookery skills weren't the best, having survived on basic foods and rations while hunting down her many targets, but she was sure that she could manage cereal.

Rocky had always liked the look of cereal. He also knew it could be taken with milk and he really liked milk. He nodded his head and pushed his face into Drax's shoulder, hugging around his neck.

Drax went into the bathroom and sat Rocky back down on the changing table. The little one still smelled like berries from his bath the night before and looked just as cute in his sleeping suit. It didn't take long to undress him and the diaper wasn't as wet as Drax had worried it would be. He used a cloth soaked in warm water to make sure Rocky would feel clean and slid a new diaper underneath him, sticking the little tabs down. He didn't say a word about the pieces of metal that showed on the outside of Rocky's body - the reason for him needing his little headspace. Drax could never ignore them, but he would never make them any kind of importance when they clearly weren't. He held Rocky's small hand in his own and looked through the small compartment where he'd found the sleeping suits. The green one was still there, but the others were either too large, had too many limbs attached or had too few. "What should we do, little one? Would you like to wear this green one or do you simply want your diaper on?"

"Green." Rocky said after thinking about it. He didn't care if he only wore his diaper, but he didn't like his shiny bits being looked at. 

Drax helped him into the new sleeping suit and hoped that he would be able to keep it cleanish for the day. He looked even sweeter in the green one, Drax thought, and he would have said so if he didn't know that Rocky would only get shy. "Ready for your breakfast, little one?"

Rocky sure was. He jumped into Drax's arms and cuddled against his chest as he was taken back to the dining area. By the table, there was a tall object with a seat attached. The seat had a flat surface outstretched before it and on the flat surface was a bowl with yellow and white stripes and a small metal spoon. He was sat inside, his legs slightly separated by a thin wooden pole and he reached for the spoon, hungrily shovelling the cereal inside his mouth.

"Give yourself time to breathe, little one!" Drax said, smiling at the sweet sight. It was good to see Rocky happy for something. What were they to do for the rest of the day? They had a little in need of care, affection and entertainment on their hands. What did Rocky even like to do? He waited until the little one was finished eating his breakfast and accepted the bowl from him. He went to put it in the washing machine and when he turned around, Gamora had taken Rocky out of the chair and was holding him on her hip. Drax patted his head and felt a smile curve his mouth as the raccoonoid looked up at him, all big brown eyes and soft fur. "What would you like to do today, Rocky?" 

"Do?" Rocky had to think hard. Daddy used to make his pretty lights or create flowers he could link to make chains with. He couldn't do that any more because Daddy was gone now. He snuggled into Gamora and rolled his shoulders. "I don't know."

Maybe all Rocky needed right now was comfort. He had just lost his caregiver, a very very big loss for a little. It made sense that he wouldn't be running around or generally making mischief. "Would you like the cartoon channel?" Drax asked. "It has lots of bright colours and interesting stories."

Rocky nodded a little. "Okay," he said. He hadn't watched cartoons before, but he guessed it would be better than feeling sad about Daddy all the time. Sad as he felt, he knew Daddy wouldn't want him to only feel hurt. Daddy would want him to be happy again as soon as he could. More than anything, right now all Rocky wanted was to feel like he was making his daddy happy. 

Gamora put Rocky on her lap and watched the cartoons absently along with the little raccoonoid. She was reminded of watching puppet shows with her mother when she'd been a very small girl. After Thanos, she hadn't had the opportunity to have anything like a childhood and she felt good watching Rocky get one - even if he wasn't really a child any more. Instead he was something very special.

Rocky liked the cartoons. He couldn't laugh yet, but he found the jokes funny and Drax had been right about the colours. He didn't focus on the stories much until someone started swordfighting or started throwing bombs at people. He sucked his thumb and looked up at Gamora who was now lightly bouncing him on her leg. She was so nice that he was surprised, but very happy she was kind to him. He closed his eyes, still sucking his thumb and must have fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes, the TV was changed to a new boring channel and Peter was sat by him in a dark robe. Rocky liked the robe instantly. It smelled nice and it looked very soft. He wished that he had one of his own to wear, but at least he had his green sleeping suit.

Peter saw that Rocky was awake. He was once again blown away by how cute he was, in his Rocky-sized outfit, rounded out adorably by his diaper, big brown eyes... He didn't know how anyone could have not found him cute. He held out his hands and Rocky smiled happily, clearly wanting to be cuddled by him for the moment. Peter would be lying if he said he didn't feel a tiny bit smug having been chosen for cuddle time by Rocky. It felt like a huge honor to him. Rocky snuggled closely to him and Peter saw that the little was touching his robe a lot with his tiny hands. "You like the fabric, buddy?"

Rocky felt the skin under his fur warm up. He felt very shy to have been noticed by Peter. He shrugged and nodded, pressing his face into the robe which smelt very, very good and mumbled; "Uh huh."

"We'll take a robe for you and make something nice out of it." Peter said. Maybe they could dye it in a nice, bright colour and Rocky could use it for a blanky. 

Rocky wondered if Peter really meant it. Then he wondered about what _would_ become of him. He needed a caretaker, all littles do. Were they his caretakers now? Or did they just feel sad for him? "What's going to happen to me?" One at a time, the tall people who had been taking care of him so lovingly looked at him. He looked shyly at his hands. "Who's going to take care of me?" 

"Us." Gamora said before either man could react. It was as clear to her as daylight. She trusted them, cared for them. All of them. And it was even more clear that Rocky trusted them in his little headspace _and_ out of it. And they cared for him. Of course they did. 

"That's right." Peter said, smiling as the little he was holding relaxed in his arms. "We will."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rocky goes shopping and gets up to mischief!

Rocky never had a mommy before. He guessed he had one once, but he didn't remember anything about one. Now he held onto green fingers as he lay on his back  watching Drax teach Gamora and Peter how to put a diaper on him. Drax didn't mind dealing with the diapers, but today they were going out, leaving the little tree asleep in his pot on the ship. Groot would be okay, Gamora had promised, and Rocky easily believed her. But before they could go, Drax insisted that Peter and Gamora learned about diapers. Rocky was happy they were learning. He knew they were learning for him.

"Drax, I know the right way for a diaper to go." Peter said, rolling his eyes. "It's obvious." 

"You would definitely make a mistake." Drax said bluntly. "Gamora, I trust."

"Why won't you trust me?" Peter complained. "Come on, dude! Give me a chance!" 

Drax patted Rocky's head gently. "May I show you another time, Gamora?" 

"Of course. Good luck, Peter." Gamora smirked at the human. She thought he would panic and call them back after two minutes. How wrong she was. 

"Okay, buddy." Peter was determined to prove that he could change a diaper. He carefully held both of Rocky's feet in a hand and lifted up, just as Drax had, until the little's butt was lifted into the air. The widest area of the diaper was slid underneath him and Peter taped the two sides together with the tabs. 

"Daddy, that's the wrong way around!" 

"It is? But Drax said-" 

"Nuh uh. Wide bit goes at front."

Peter couldn't remember how he'd worn diapers as a kid, but who knew diapers better than Rocky? He quickly changed the diaper around and had just gotten the little dressed when Drax came in. "I did it!" he boasted. "Changed Rocky's diaper all by myself."

"Did you remember the powder?" 

"...Shit!"

"Daddy said a naughty word!" Rocky giggled. When he said naughty words, he got put in the naughty corner. It would be funny if his Terran daddy would have to go in there, he thought.

Drax booped Rocky's little nose. "Naughty words for naughty people." he said, which made Rocky giggle more. "I'll need to undress you, little one. You need powder on your butt."

Rocky forgot the naughty thing he'd done. In fact, he thought it was funny, not naughty. As his tattooed daddy pulled his pants off to reveal his misplaced diaper, he put his hands over it to try to hide proof of his prank. 

"Quill, his diaper is in the wrong position." Drax didn't blame Peter. Diapers could be difficult if you were unused to them.

"But Rocky told me that I got it wrong the other way."

Drax looked at Rocky. Rocky couldn't hide his smiles and hid his nose behind his hands in an effort to try and hide them. He might have been able to hide his smiles, but his giggles weren't so easily hidden. "What is it, Daddy?" he asked innocently.

Drax found this pretty funny. It wouldn't have been so funny if Rocky had leaked his diaper, but the look on Peter's face, the adorable sight of a giggling Rocky and, if he was being honest, the joke itself, made him smile as well. "I think you know what." he said, booping Rocky's nose again. "That was a very funny idea, yes, but what if neither of us realised and your diaper got too wet?"

Rocky pulled a face. He'd had that happen to him once and he hadn't enjoyed the experience. "That wouldn't be nice."

"No, it would not." Drax fixed the diaper's positioning and reached for the powder, sprinkling it over the little. "You knew your daddy needed some guidance, little one. It wasn't fair of you to trick him."

"Sorry." Rocky mumbled. He hadn't meant to be mean, but he still thought his joke was funny.

"It isn't me you should be apologising to." Drax made sure that his voice wasn't too loud or otherwise scary to the little. Angry, raised voices frightened Rocky. His adult self didn't really care.

Rocky looked at his Terran daddy. "Sorry, Daddy."

Peter smiled. He hadn't been able to be mad with Rocky anyway, but the big brown eyes made him melt. "You're okay, buddy. Just don't do it again, okay?"

"Okay." Rocky said sweetly, but he still liked the joke and knew he would probably do it again. He let himself get dressed again and his tattooed daddy picked him up for a cuddle which Rocky always loved having. 

Drax knew that it was very important to keep Rocky feeling loved, especially when talk of discipline came into play. He held him for a few moments, feeling the little snuggle against him and then helped Rocky look into his eyes. "You'll have your three-minute corner time if you do that trick again, little one. It's too risky for you."

Rocky really didn't want that. Corner time was not only boring, it sucked for reasons Rocky couldn't quite explain. Once when he'd done something very naughty, he'd gotten a little tap across his butt. Even if he hadn't been in a diaper at the time, it wouldn't have hurt, but he'd rubbed anyway. "I won't, Daddy." he said, hoping that by the time he did, his daddies would have forgotten about it. He still hadn't learned yet that daddies (and mommies) remember _everything._

Drax hoped Rocky meant it, because he really hated to discipline his little one. But as far as he was concerned, the conversation was finished with and they had a place to be. Today, they were going shopping for little things. In particular, their little's things. They were on a world with a high population of littles and caretakers of all type of creature, so they would fit in just fine. "Who would you like to carry you, little one?" 

"Um...Mommy!" Rocky said, happy to have time with his mommy. Soon, he was swaddled in the sling and he could feel Mommy's arm around him, keeping him safe. He was a little bit nervous, because he'd never been shopping before, but both of his daddies and his mommy had promised that he could have actual toys. Whatever toys he wanted. Not too many because they lived on a ship with limited space, but he could still have toys. He was soon settled into the carrier and ended up napping as his mommy walked to the special shopping place, his tiny hands holding onto her pretty, dark pink hair. When he woke up, he could hear soft music like the songs his tattooed daddy sang to him at night. There were lots of rails with lots of clothes and there were lots of signs saying things like "nightwear" and "playtime" and "dress-up" and "outside". There were also shelves with shoes which he really didn't like. "Mommy, no! No shoes, Mommy!"

Gamora bounced Rocky in the carrier, knowing how to comfort her little boy. "I know, sweetie, I know. You won't get shoes, I promise." She tickled his foot and smiled when she heard him giggle. "No shoes."

"What should we look at first, Rocky?" Peter asked, bending down to look into the little's eyes. 

"Playtime!" Rocky pointed at the playtime clothes to show his daddy. "Playtime clothes, Daddy!"

The playtime clothes were mostly dungarees, which weren't very useful for diaper changes, but the playtime clothes were for  doing messy things like painting and using playdough. Rocky wouldn't be wearing them all the time, so he ended up with two in soft material. One was a light peach color and the other was purple. To make sure he was covered up right, he chose two shirts with long sleeves in matching colours. 

"You're gonna look freakin' sweet." Peter said, holding the peach dungarees by Rocky.

Rocky giggled. "Daddy, you said a naughty word again!"

"Sorry, Rocky." Peter tickled under his arm, making him squirm and giggle again. "Hey, you're laughing!"

"Daddy!" Rocky giggled. "Stop tickling meee!"

Peter had to stop because Gamora gave him the look all mommies give to their little ones when they're naughty. Even on someone who was not a little, it was very good at getting him to behave himself. "So, what about nightwear, buddy?"

Nightwear was a little too easy because Rocky liked everything! He had to have a lot of help from his mommy and daddies or he would have filled up the whole ship with his little sleeping suits. But then he saw a sleeping suit with no legs, just a place where the poppers were. He liked sleeping suits, but this new thing made him think how nice it would be to be able to kick his legs a little more freely each night. This new discovery made his mommy and daddies happy too, because there weren't a lot of them there. They were called rompers, he discovered. He chose his favourite one which was a light blue with little yellow ducklings and let his caregivers choose a new sleeping suit for him. It took a while, but he soon acquired a dark blue sleeping suit with bright red rocket ships on it.

"You're nearly done with the clothes, little one." Drax held Rocky's hand, smiling at how small his fingers were as they held onto his thumb. "All we need now is to choose some daytime clothing."

Rocky was bored now. He wanted to get some toys. "Toys, Daddy." 

"We'll get toys, but it would feel strange to play with them in just your diaper, little one." Drax knew that Rocky was bored. Of course he was. Clothes shopping was very dull, especially for a little. "Would you like to pick something out?"

Rocky didn't really mind about his day clothes. But when he saw another romper, he was so excited that he nearly fell out of the carrier. "Want that! Want that!"

Gamora pulled him back to safety. "Be careful, sweetie." She picked up the one he wanted and let him hold it. "What else?"

"Just the romper." Rocky said sweetly.

"Can we choose?" Peter asked. 

"Uh huh."

Peter could tell that Rocky was growing bored. And a bored Rocky meant that naughty behaviour would follow. Once he'd ripped off his diaper and ran through the ship and had spent his three minutes in the corner giggling. The three of them all knew better than to take too long and Rocky soon had two little shirts with stars and suns on them and two pairs of pants in bright colors. They knew he would have protested if he didn't like them and took the clothes to the till where a lady with pink skin was serving.

The pink lady smiled sweetly at Rocky. "Hello. Are these clothes _all_ for you?"

Rocky had never been spoken to by a stranger so nicely while in his little headspace. He cuddled close to Gamora, feeling very shy. 

"Would you like a lollipop, honey?"

A lollipop? Rocky looked at his mommy. "What's that, Mommy?"

"It's a type of candy. Do you want to try some?"

"Okay." Rocky still felt too shy to look at the lady, even when he knew she was nice.

The lady showed him a big, clear jar filled with brightly colored balls on sticks. "You can have any color you want." She promised.

"They have pink lollipops." Gamora said when Rocky kept his face pressed into her shoulder. "You like pink, right?"

Rocky could only nod. 

"It's a candy in a pretty colour." Gamora said, smiling at how nice the lady was being to him.

"Oh." Rocky looked at the lady who had been so nice to him. He was still scared of speaking to her and nodded instead.

The pink lady had met lots of shy littles and she knew just the way to help them. "Do you know your colors yet, honey?"

Rocky nodded.

"Tell me what color lollipop you'd like and you can have it."

Whatever color? "Um...pink." Rocky whispered very quietly.

The lady had lots of pink lollipops and she brought one out. "You're such a clever little boy, knowing your colors!"

Rocky felt happy hearing that from the stranger. "Thank you." he said, taking the lollipop. 

"Oh, you're welcome, honey. Make sure not to have it before your naptime, okay?" The lady put the clothes inside a bag and gave it to Drax. "Have a nice day, honey!"

Lucky for Rocky, the next place they went to was the toy section. There was a very big bouncy house, but it was so big that his mommy said it couldn't possibly fit on the ship. But there was something called a gym which was a green, circular mat with a mobile dangling down. There were shiny bells that made a nice sound and a bulb glowing out different, soft colors and a button that played lullaby music. Rocky also saw building blocks and, last of all, he wanted something big, warm soft to cuddle when his mommy and daddies weren't there (such as during naptimes). 

"What about this?" Peter asked, holding up a large, pale blue stuffed animal. It looked like what he remembered panda bears to look like, except it had wings and a pouch. "You can sleep in him."

"Judging by the pouch, I would say it was female." Drax said, pulling the pouch open. It was deep, but not so much that Rocky would get stuck in it.

"Some guys have pouches too-"

Rocky reached out hopefully with both arms. "Want it! Want it! Want it!" He didn't care if it was a girl or a boy, it was cuddly and nice and the sooner it was in his room, the better. 

"Let's get these and we'll go back to the ship. Drax, Peter, Rocky needs some supplies, okay? We'll see you guys soon." Gamora took the toys and went to the checkout where a jar of lollipops stood. She could see Rocky's eyes were fixated on the jar and sighed. "No, sweetie. You'll rot your teeth if you have two lollipops."

"But I've been good, Mommy!"

"You can play with your new toys when you get back." Gamora tried to soothe. She kissed his head and had to bend forward to give the cashier the card to pay for the toys, not seeing Rocky's hand quickly reach out and grab _three_ of the lollipops!

Rocky was very happy that he now had his own candy stash. He knew he would have to try and hide what he had done because it was naughty to steal (at least from nice places), so he dropped them into the bag when his mommy started walking out of the store. 

The first thing Gamora did when she got back to the ship was take Rocky out of his carrier and sit him down on the table. "It's nearly lunchtime." She told him. She knew he was looking forward to playing with his toys, but there was a routine that he had helped choose while in adult mode, and one that they generally stuck to. "Why don't you decide what toy you want to play with while I heat up your soup?"

Rocky had been about to complain very loudly about not being able to play with his toys immediately, but Mommy had good as promised that he could play with a toy straight after his lunchtime nap. "Can I have noodly soup, Mommy?"

"Well, I think there's a magic word that might help you get some." Gamora teased. "What's the magic word, sweetie?"

"Please, Mommy?"

"Noodly soup coming up." Gamora promised and she turned away to get the can from its cupboard, not knowing what her little boy was doing behind her back.

Rocky found the lollipops, slightly cracked, and hid them in the bag which held the gym. They were very pretty lollipops, one was orange and the other was blue, just like the ship and the other was green like his mommy. "Wanna play with blocks, Mommy." He heard his tattooed daddy talking and yelled "Daddies are back!"

"Do you want one of them to feed you lunch?" Gamora asked, stirring the noodly soup in its pot. 

"Daddy...Daddy Pete."

"Peter!" Gamora called, pouring the delicious, warm soup into a plastic bowl. "Rocky wants you to give him lunch!"

"On it!" Peter picked up the bowl and sat at the table. "Now, no chewing with your mouth open this time."

Rocky giggled. 

"I'm serious, man. Last time you did that, you sprayed most of your sandwich over me."

That had been very very funny, but he'd ended with a minute in the corner which hadn't been funny at all. He behaved for his daddy this time and yawned after he'd finished, his tummy feeling full. "Yummy yummy." He mumbled. Even though he didn't want a nap, his eyes were sleepy and he reached for his daddy to pick him up. "I'm not sleepy."

"I can see that, Rocky." Peter "agreed", picking him up. He always thought it was so cute when Rocky insisted he wasn't sleepy when he was yawning and falling asleep at the table. "Let's get you freshened up and ready for your nap."

"Nap in big blue." Rocky said, cuddling into his daddy.

"Drax, grab the blue plushie." Peter asked. "Okay, Rocky, I'm going to check your diaper and change it, but I hope you don't play a trick on me like you did this morning."

Rocky would have giggled, but he was too tired.

Peter put Rocky on the changing table and unzipped his playsuit. He remembered what Drax had told him and had soon succeeded in changing Rocky's diaper, even remembering the powder. "How about you wear one of your new shirts buddy? Then you can wear your dungarees after your nap."

"Uh huh." Rocky agreed.

Peter let Drax slip one of the stripy tees over Rocky's head and watched as he was settled into his new blue plushie friend. He didn't know if he had ever seen anything more adorable than Rocky napping in a plushie. The sweetest part was the little smile on Rocky's face. "Gamora." He said as the green woman came in. "Look how cute he is!"

Gamora couldn't help softening at the sight of their little, safe and sound asleep in his big toy, but she still held out her hand with a sigh. "Look what I found."

"What are they?" Peter started to ask, but then he recognised them. In Gamora's hand were three lollipops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! Rocky got caught out! What will his mommy and daddies say about this?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gamora tries to be a good mommy to her little and Rocky finds himself in a little trouble.

"Look, I'm not upset about the stealing."

"Really?" Peter asked Gamora. He thought she had been cos she'd mentioned not paying for the candy. She was the one who insisted they be as heroic as they could be. "Cos you were all 'he took the candy' and I thought that..."

"You think I pay for those fluffy towels I come back from hotels with?"

Peter found that very funny and awesome. He always thought that Gamora would have made a cool Ravager and now he was sure she would. "You're my hero." He said, smiling at her.

She needed to get Peter one of those fluffy towels for saying that, Gamora thought. "He knew that he wasn't allowed any more candy and he took some anyway!"

"Yeah." Peter said, still grinning like an idiot. "He's _my_ hero too."

Gamora gave up on Peter and looked at Drax. "Please tell me you understand."

"I do."

"What? Come on, all kids go against their moms and dads."

"And then what do the moms and dads do?" Gamora asked miserably. She wondered if maybe she wasn't a very good mommy. Was that why her little had disobeyed her? "I told him why I didn't want him eating too much candy, I reminded him that he has toys now, I tried not to be mean about it..."

"If you had been mean about it, we'd know." Peter said.

"So why did he do that?"

"Little ones misbehave." Drax could see that Gamora was upset and confused about Rocky's actions and he could understand why. It was hard when little ones misbehaved and rebelled, but he knew she was a very good mommy and would be able to deal with it. "All we must do is tell him that we know what he's done and go from there. Don't think Rocky doesn't love you. He does, very much. When he wakes up from his nap, go and talk to him. You're an excellent mommy. You'll know what needs to be done."

"Drax's right. Trust yourself." Peter smiled at Gamora. He often marvelled at how good Gamora was with Rocky and wished he could be like her. She became so tender and sweet with their little that it made him feel mushy inside.

Gamora decided to take their advice and went to Rocky's room where she immediately saw her little snuggled up inside his new toy. She really wanted to pick him up and cuddle him, but it was more important to let him have enough sleep. She sat by the toy and watched him sleep, finding him more and more and more adorable by the second. She thought about maybe ignoring his disobedience, but she knew that if she ignored it now, it would happen again and maybe he would get in trouble or get hurt or-

"Mommy?"

Gamora smiled at her sleepy little boy as he yawned. "Hello, sweetie. Did you have a nice nap?"

"Uh huh." Rocky was very happy to see his mommy there and he lifted his arms up so she would pick him up. "Up, Mommy."

Nothing made Gamora happier than holding Rocky in her arms and she smiled when he cuddled into her, his tiny hands holding fistfuls of her hair. "Is your diaper wet or dry?"

"Dry, Mommy."

Gamora crossed her legs and sat Rocky on her lap. "I'll get you some warm milk, but first we need to have a talk, okay?"

"Why Mommy?" 

Gamora thought about how cute Rocky was and how sweet he looked and sighed, wanting to cuddle him again and ignore the fact he'd done something naughty. "I found the candy. I know you stole it from the store."

Rocky didn't know what to do. He knew Mommy had told him that he wasn't allowed more candy and he knew that it was naughty to steal things and he knew Mommy was maybe a little mad with him, but he didn't know what to do about it. "It...it wasn't me."

"It wasn't you?" Gamora couldn't believe her ears. Her little boy, lying to her? Why? "If it wasn't you who hid the candy, who was it?"

Rocky knew that if he tried to blame either of his daddies, they would be able to say that they hadn't. He thought very hard and thought up a very good lie. "A fairy did it!"

"A fairy." Gamora would have laughed if she wasn't so unhappy with being lied to. "I didn't see any fairies."

"Uh huh." Rocky was sure that his mommy thought there had been a fairy and he nodded his head. "The fairy was really fast and she put the candy in the gym bag and then Daddy got me ready for my nap and you found it. But it really was a fairy, Mommy!"

"Sweetie, if the fairy was so fast, how did you see her?"

Rocky thought again. "Um..." He said, not sure what to tell his mommy. "I don't know. Maybe mommies can't see fairies."

"Maybe not." Gamora remembered a little trick her own mommy had used when she had been trying out a lie as a little girl. "But I do have a tiny angel who tells me important things about my little boy."

Rocky's eyes got big and he wondered what the angel had told his mommy. He hoped the angel didn't know the truth about what he had done. "You do?"

Gamora nodded her head very seriously. "I do. And the angel told me that you liked your first lollipop so much that you wanted another one and you didn't think it was very fair that I said no."

Rocky wriggled a little bit on his mommy's lap. He had thought that. "Maybe." He said in a very quiet voice.

"And the angel also said that you grabbed out of the jar and accidentally took more than one, so you decided to hide them instead of just eating them all."

Rocky put his hands over his eyes and nodded his head as hard as he could. He also decided that the angel was a mean jerk for telling on him. 

Gamora couldn't stand to see her little boy so sad and she took his hands, gently holding them. "The angel said that was a very smart thing to do, because if you had eaten them all, you would have gotten a big tummyache which is why Mommy didn't want you to have any more."

Rocky felt a little better after hearing that. Maybe the angel wasn't such a mean jerk.

"I wish you hadn't lied to me, Rocky." Gamora really didn't want to discipline her little boy, but she knew it had to be done because mommies did have to do it sometimes. "You know I set you boundaries for a good reason and you know it's so wrong to lie to your mommy."  

Gamora was right. Rocky did know he'd been naughty and he worried maybe his mommy would be really, really upset with him. "I'm sorry, Mommy."

"I know you are, sweetie." Gamora said, wanting to cuddle her little boy close to her heart. "You know what would help?"

Rocky knew what his mommy was going to say and he pushed his face into her shoulder, wanting to persuade her to not put him in the corner. "Mooooooommmmmyyyyyyyy!"

"Yes, Rocky. You know better than to lie to your mommy or your daddies."

Rocky held onto a lock of his mommy's hair and looked at her with his big brown eyes. "Can I have a hug first, Mommy? Please?"

Unable to resist giving her little boy a hug, Gamora hugged him and stood up, bouncing him a little in her arms. "You know Mommy loves you, right?"

"Uh-huh." Rocky agreed, hugging his mommy equally tight. "And my daddies too?"

"And your daddies too." Said Gamora as she carried Rocky to the corner and knelt down. "You need to go in the corner now, sweetie."

Rocky let his mommy put him down and looked at the corner. Bleh. Corner time was boring and sucky and silly. He'd told his mommy and daddies that ever since they'd started using it when he was naughty, but they seemed fine with that which he thought was really unfair. 

"Rocky." Mommy never ever sounded angry with him and she didn't now, but Rocky knew she wasn't happy because he wasn't in the corner yet. "You heard what I said, sweetie." 

Rocky shuffled to the corner, dragging his little feet against the softly carpeted floor. It helped to know he wasn't going to have long in the corner, just a couple of minutes, but it didn't make corner time any more fun. 

"Two minutes." His mommy said. "I'm going to get your milk made up and I'll be right back, okay?"

Rocky looked at the lilac painted wall with its pale yellow star print and nodded his head and then started sucking his thumb. He heard his mommy's footsteps go quiet and, very quickly, turned his head to see if she was gone. He thought about maybe sneaking off to play with his toys, but then he thought about how upset his mommy would be if he didn't do what she wanted, 'specially after lying to her. He turned his head and looked into the corner again, wishing he hadn't gotten caught and thinking that, yep, the angel who'd tattled on him was a really mean jerk. He sucked harder on his thumb and felt his diaper get wet and then warm. He took his thumb out of his mouth and looked down. His mommy and daddies had always told him to tell one of them if he needed a change, but he also knew he wasn't allowed to come out of the corner until time was up. "Mommy!"

His mommy came very quickly, almost running to him. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm wet!" Rocky said. "I didn't mean to, but I did and...and..." 

Gamora rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. "Shh, it's okay. You did the right thing by calling for someone, okay? You're a good boy." She could tell that Rocky had only just wet his diaper by the way he was standing. "Let's get you changed, sweetie." She picked him up and took him to his changing table, lying him down on it. She smiled at him, thinking how cute he looked. "Next time, you can come out of the corner if you need to be changed. We don't want our sweet little baby to feel smelly."

Rocky felt happier to hear that and much better when his diaper was taken off and Mommy used the strawberry scented wipes to help him get clean and fresh again. Just after his mommy had put his new diaper on him, the timer made its tinkling sound to let them know the corner time was finished. "Do I have to go in the corner again, Mommy?"

"No, sweetie." Gamora didn't think it was fair to make him continue after he'd done the right thing by calling for her. "Your milk's getting cold. Would you like me or one of your daddies to give it to you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Another Rocky adventure! What will happen next with our favorite little?


End file.
